Sleepwalkers - Collector's Edition

In 1992 I was particularly fond of the movie based on Stephen King's first original screenplay "Sleepwalkers," the story of mother and son creatures who need to find a virgin to feed on in order to stay alive. Maybe it was the stirring of longing I had for hottie Brian Krause or my gay-boy crush on the gorgeous Madchen Amick. Whatever it was, I found it fun and a little scary.

Cut to 2018, and Shout Factory has given us a special edition Blu-ray release. Finally, I can revisit this beautiful... mess. Yeah, it's a pretty bad movie in many aspects. The story is completely confused and a bit nonsensical. (Why are they cat creatures yet can die at the scratch of a cat?) The creature design is apropros, but silly. It has a very slow set-up with nothing really scary happening except a random opening scene (featuring Mark Hamill) that never really comes into play later on. And the incestuous aspect just seems to be there for shock value rather than a significant plot point.

That said, it's still amusing and Madchen Amick rises above the material managing to be both adorable (why didn't she do more comedy?) and believable even when she's struggling with a stunt man in a slimy cat creature body suit. Alice Krige as the slinky, seductive mama creature is always great, adding a Shakespearean grandeur to the role which oddly makes it work in spades.

Special Features are fun, although director Mick Harris does seem to think he's created a masterpiece, while actors Krause and Amick know the whole thing is a bit of a goofy lark. Because of that, the short doc featuring our leads is fun because they have a great casual chemistry without the pretention that some actors might bring to the conversation. Even in the audio commentary, those two make the whole affair lighthearted and kind of cute. Harris does as well, but again, he's so proud of his film he seems to be on a different page than the others.

There's also an interview with Krige who is delightful and, despite a varied body of work, speaks highly of the experience.

There are also features on the special effects, the theatrical trailer, TV spots, and Behind the Scenes footage.

For fans of early '90s horror, this is a fun treat. It's not quite as special as you may remember, but it was fun to revisit at least one more time.

"Sleepwalkers: Special Edition"Blu-ray$28.43www.shoutfactory.com

Kevin Taft is a screenwriter/critic living in Los Angeles with an unnatural attachment to 'Star Wars' and the desire to be adopted by Steven Spielberg.